


Cruising For Love

by HighPent



Series: Tumblr Prompts [41]
Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017), The Worst Witch - All Media Types
Genre: Cruising, F/F, Hicsqueak, Holidays, Love Confessions, One Shot, Romance, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Room
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:41:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27876257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HighPent/pseuds/HighPent
Summary: Hecate has a secret, she’s been entering competitions, and it’s been something she’s been doing for years without anyone knowing. But now circumstances mean that she’s going to have to share a prize of a honeymoon trip with someone else, someone who would have to pretend to be her wife not only for appearance sake but for the ordinary press. Could she ask Pippa? She couldn’t go alone or give it away. A holiday with Pippa would be nice. What would she do?
Relationships: Hardbroom & Pentangle (Worst Witch), Hardbroom/Pentangle (Worst Witch), Hecate Hardbroom/Pippa Pentangle
Series: Tumblr Prompts [41]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1961884
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	Cruising For Love

Hecate Hardbroom had a small secret. It was nothing scandalous or anything like that, but it was a little frivolous. Hecate enjoyed puzzle magazines. She’d found one that another teacher had left behind in the staff room years ago and she thought that it was entertaining and stimulating, so she had subscribed to it. Then after the first one was delivered they’d sent her advertisements about other ones with prizes that she might also like and she had though ‘why not be rewarded for succeeding?’ as there was no harm in that. And so Hecate would occasionally receive things in Cackle’s post that she’d won, most of which she didn’t really have a use for and she either gave them away or donated them to some witching fundraiser or another. This time though it was different. The prize had been made out to her in person so she would have to use it, but... it was a Honeymoon trip on a cruise liner?! She couldn’t give it away or go just by herself, someone would have to go with her. Oh this was just to ridiculous. Who would do that?! She decided that she simply wouldn’t go. She placed the tickets back in the envelope with the letter and stuffed it behind a sofa cushion. There. That’d be the end to it.

It wasn’t the end. Sitting on the sofa later that week, Pippa wondered what the rustling sound was behind her and fished it out “Hiccup? What’s this?” She asked, not opening it but seeing from the envelope that it was something holiday related. “Have you booked yourself a little holiday? How wonderful! Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve arranged to go with you, that is of course unless you wanted to go alone, which you’re more than entitled to and capable of.” Pippa smiled at the thought now in her head of the two of them enjoying sight seeing on excursions up the Nile and her making jokes about the Sphinx and the smell.

Hecate had obviously thought about taking Pippa with her, but she didn’t imagine Pippa would want to. But then Pippa just thought it was a holiday and that there were no strings attached, so she sat down and explained about the puzzle books and how she entered for all the ones she completed without really thinking about the prize, which was her own fault, then told her about the type of holiday it was. Pippa giggled, she couldn’t help herself. She wasn’t laughing at Hecate, just the situation. “Oh you silly witch. I doubt very much they’re going to have someone there to watch you. You might get a few nice extras like a great cabin and champagne breakfasts, but nobody is going to know if who you have with you is your wife, a room mate, a friend, or anything if you don’t tell them. It’d be such a shame to miss out on such a magnificent trip.”

Pippa was right. It wasn’t as though she would even have to pretend. It could be just two good friends sharing a cabin. She looked at Pippa and bravely asked “In which case, seeing as you suggested it, perhaps you would care to join me?” Pippa’s face lit up so she knew she’d made the right choice “Oh yes Hecate, I would love to go on a trip with you. Just you and me. We always wanted to as teenagers and now we get the chance!” So that was it. It was settled. They would have to masquerade as Ordinaries, but with Pippa’s help in the choice of attire she was sure that she could manage it.

Despite her inner panicking over various things to do with the cruise, mostly having to.. share a bed and room with Pippa, unless she’d be able to magic the bed into two at nights and back again before the maid service came around. That was possible, she kept telling herself, and when they got to their cabin and the ship got under way a lot of Hecate’s worries faded away. Pippa was her usual bubbly and talkative self, listing all of the places they’d pass and be able to go on day trips to and how the ship had so many facilities to try as well as worldwide dishes to try and that Hecate really should. It was comforting and distracting. Both of which Hecate was glad of until the knock on the door came. Upon opening it Hecate realised that this might not be quite as easy as Pippa thought.

There was to be an interview and photographs taken for the magazine about them, their relationship, and their wedding. Hecate couldn’t speak, she was completely in shock. Luckily Pippa was used to the press, in the witching world at least, and had become quite good at thinking on her feet. She took Hecate’s hand both for appearance sake and to steady her and did all the taking. Hecate was shy, she explained, which wasn’t a lie, nor was what Pippa told them about being childhood sweethearts and due to a rather complicated set of circumstances and misunderstandings they separated under a cloud, but had always still loved each other. It was only due to the intervention of a child they both knew that they even got talking again, and basically ever since then they’d got closer and closer and spending more time together until... well both of them were very much in love with the other and things took their course.

Hecate listened to Pippa, still in shock, still unable to say anything apart from nod occasionally when the press looked at her for confirmation. Was Pippa really making all this up? Well no, most of it was true, it was just being told in an Ordinary way, but the bits about them now? It wasn’t until they were satisfied with the information and photos and left that Hecate was finally able to sit down and quietly speak. “Firstly, thank you for.. all of that. I would not have been able to deal with the situation without your assistance. Secondly, the part about us since Mildred’s little matchmaking scheme, was that fiction?” She didn’t know how else to put it, but whatever the answer Pippa gave her she’d accept.

Pippa sat on the edge of the bed, next to Hecate and once again took her hand in her own “I always thought that I could read you better than anyone else, even when you closed yourself off the most, but as to how you feel about me, I’m really not sure at all darling, and because of that I’m a little frightened that if I try to get closer to you that it might scare you away. I will say that for my part it wasn’t fiction at all and the closer we have got these last few years the closer I’ve wanted us to be. However, I’m willing to accept whatever you’re able to give me.

Hecate didn’t answer straight away, but she didn’t remove her hand from Pippa’s, which was a good sign, Pippa thought. Eventually Hecate took a deep breath and quietly admitted “This may seem rather silly to you, but until the confinement was lifted I’ve been... afraid to allow anyone that close and now it is possible... I do not believe I truly know how. Affection does not come easily to me, but I would very much like to try.”

As declarations of love went it wasn’t going to be up there with the greats, but it was what Hecate could manage, and the fact was that she had given both of them hope. As planned the honeymoon bed was magically separated at night, but to anyone looking at them as they enjoyed the activities on the cruise and went to ‘see if the Sphinx really does’ as Pippa joked, as well as every other wonder that Hecate never dreamt of being able to see, they seemed the nervous and adoring newly married couple in love. Just like the story Pippa had told the reporters, it was almost true.


End file.
